Newly disclosed court records have revealed that FBI investigators tested DNA from a second teenage male before arresting Timothy Hudson in connection with the death of 18-year-old Florida woman Anna Kepner, Hudson’s stepsister, aboard a Carnival cruise ship. The records provide additional details about how federal investigators developed their case and why prosecutors say DNA evidence became a key factor in Hudson’s arrest.
A February federal detention hearing reviewed by People states investigators collected DNA from a juvenile passenger identified in court records as “Minor Witness 2.” Prosecutors said the teenager had a brief romantic encounter with Kepner during the cruise but had no prior relationship with her or her family.
Federal prosecutors sought the DNA sample after forensic testing identified male DNA during the investigation. Court records indicate that investigators examined whether the DNA could have belonged to someone other than Hudson. The juvenile was not charged with any crime, and court records do not identify him as a suspect.
Two DNA samples and forensic evience contributed to Hudson’s arrest
FBI tested another teenage boy's DNA who was traveling on the same cruise as Anna Kepner before she died, reports say. https://t.co/o2ybZHvu8R pic.twitter.com/8FpYZZvzps
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) June 4, 2026
Hearing testimony also says FBI laboratory analysts compared DNA from Hudson and the second male with forensic evidence collected during the investigation. Prosecutors said the testing excluded the second teenager as a contributor to the DNA profile under review.
The results, prosecutors told the court, pointed investigators in a different direction. Forensic analysts testified that the crime scene DNA provided an absolute match, concluding it was mathematically impossible for the profile to belong to an unrelated stranger. Prosecutors said investigators obtained those results before Hudson’s arrest in February 2026.
Court documents cited by Fox News describe surveillance footage that prosecutors say showed Hudson repeatedly entering and leaving the cabin he shared with Kepner and her 13-year-old biological half-brother aboard the Carnival Horizon. Prosecutors told the court that Kepner entered the cabin on the evening of Nov. 6, 2025, and did not appear on surveillance footage afterward.
Authorities later found Kepner’s body beneath a bed in the cabin once the ship arrived in Miami, according to a federal indictment and court records cited by People. Prosecutors subsequently indicted Hudson as an adult on charges of first-degree murder and felony criminal abuse. In the indictment, prosecutors allege Hudson “knowingly and unlawfully” committed the acts described in the charging documents. Hudson has pleaded not guilty, according to local news outlet WPLG.
Defense attorneys have challenged aspects of the government’s forensic evidence. Defense lawyers questioned whether investigators could establish a precise timeline connecting the DNA evidence to Kepner’s death. Hudson is currently scheduled to stand trial in federal court in September 2026. Hudson is currently free on bond.
